Abraham t



(No Model.)

, A. T. WELCH. PROCESS OI AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING GAS.

Patented Jan. 4,1898.

UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE,

ABRAHAM T. WELCI-I, OF WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

PROCESS OF AND APPARATUS FOR GENERATING GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of IL tters Patent No. 596,560, dated January 4, 1898. Application filed March 5, 1894. Renewed May 3, 1897. Serial No. 634,966. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, ABRAHAM T. WELOH, a citizen of the United States, residing at VVashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Gas Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, s uch as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of the invention is to produce a carbureted aeriform fluid of uniform quality;

furthermore, to produce a carbureted aeriform fluid of uniform quality and in uniform quantity, and, finally, to charge air or other aeriform fluid under uniform pressure with a uniform quantity and quality of the vapor of hydrocarbon oils and deliver the product for use in lighting or heating under uniform pressure in desired quantity.

With these objects in view the invention consists in a carbureter proper of such construction that in use the whole body of hydrocarbon oil in it contained will constantly be undergoing mixture, whereby in evaporation a uniform temperature will be maintained and it will vaporize uniformly; furthermore, in the combination, with a carbu reter of the nature described, of any suitable device for taking in and storing air and passing it underuniform pressure to the carbureter, whereby under uniformity of quality the product will be maintained also in uniformity of quantity to be delivered for use, the combination to constitute an automatic gas apparatus.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts, Figure 1 is a view in vertical longitudinal section, showing the carburetor as a closed chamber supplied with hydrocarbon oil, provided with an air-supply pipe, an airinlet pipe, and a delivery-pipe for carbureted air, and containing a float with closed top and sides and open bottom hinged at one end and free and buoyed at the other, the top arranged to leave an air-chamber in use, and also a preferred form of device for taking in air, storing it, and passing it to the carbureter. Fig. 2 is a view in plan of the carbureter proper,with part of the top broken away to show the interior. Figs. 3, 4, 5, and 6 are views in vertical section, showing the closed chambers, the float, and buoys and illustrating the different positions of the float under different depths of liquid.

Referring to the drawings, A designates a tight chamber, case, or box, preferably of metal of substantial thickness to maintain temperature and rectangular in shape, which box is to contain a suitable hydrocarbon oil, as indicated by a dotted line, is provided with an oil-supply pipe at, entering the box a sufficient depth to insure its being sealed at its lower end by dipping below the surface of the oil, the other end having a cap, and with an inlet-pipe a provided with a check-valve, and a delivery-pipe a Within this case is a float a of peculiar construction, being a box having tight top and sides, downward-projecting ends,and an open bottom, one downwardprojecting end being tight and the other perforated, the tight end being longer than the other and hinged below to the case and the other end being free and kept with its upper part just at or above the surface of the hydrocarbon oil in the case by an air-tight cylinder or buoy or by air-tight cylinders or buoys a Where there is one buoy, this is arranged some distance from the front end, so that the end of the float has more extended vertical motion than the buoy and dips deeper and deeper into the liquid as the liquid diminishes, and where there are two or more buoys these are arranged with one buoy at the front end and another or others back of it, substantially as shown, whereby as the liquid sinks less and less of the buoy-surface from the rear buoy to the front buoy is submerged. The buoys thus exert less and less buoyancy or lifting effect on the front end of the float. The top of the float inclines downward from the hinged or rear end to the perforated or front end. An air-chamber is left at the rear, into which the air-inlet pipe a opens, and the front end of the float, with its perforations, sinks deeper and deeper into the liquid, causing longer contact of the air therewith as the liquid gets lower and becomes thicker. The float is preferably made narrow at the hinged end and broad at the perforated end.

Air in regular quantity and at a uniform r I I pressure entering the ai r-chamber in the float will here be stored for a short time in the small chamber under the steadying and yielding pressure'of the float and be discharged over the buoys through the perforations in the front end, whereby it will become charged with vapor of the hydrocarbon oil in the case contained. The air under pressure and confined by the top and sides of the hinged float is forced through the liquid outside the float and seeks an outlet to the gas-chamber above the liquid, being projected farthest from the end of the carbureter into the liquid outside the float through the highest openings in the end of the float and less far successively through the sets of openings down to the lowest, whereby each projection of air through the openings successively downward passes up in bubbles just back of the next higher one, so that the air from each higher series of openings impinges against this toward the surface, creating a light foam,spume,or spray. As the initial discharge of air through the front end of the float is in a great measure horizontal, the liquid will be driven before it, and thus a circulation of the same and very thorough mixture thereof will ensue, insuring prevention ofstratiflcation and continual homogeneousness of the liquid moved, which will then come into contact with the sides of the box, taking its temperature, and thus. keeping the Whole at a substantially uniform degree and a product of uniform quality. By the delivery-pipe a the 'carbureted air passes to any situation of use, as to burners a. This carbureter may be supplied with any suitable aeriform fluid under uniform pressure by any suitable device, but preferably under uniform pressure and automatically by the pressureregulator shown in Fig. 1.

In this device there is a Weighted air-holder B, having an air-intake pipe I), supplying air under pressure to the holder, the holder having a lever 19 The pipe I) is connected with an independent air-blower or air-compressor, which is in continuous operation and which forces air into the air-holder through the pipe. Upon the pipe 6 is a blow-off pipe 6 having a valve 6, which is operated by a lever 5 through its connection with the air-holder, to open when the air-holder is at a certain height and to close as it sinks. When the valve 5 is open, the surplus air above what is required to maintain the holder at a given height blows off through the pipe 79 by which a fixed quantity of air undera uniform pressure in the air-holder is maintained. The. discharge or passage pipe to be connected with the air-inlet pipe of the carburetor is marked Z7 Having thus described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patcut, is-

l. A float containing an air-chamber and to be in liquid in a vessel, the float having perforations at one portion of its periphery only, whereby air, passing from the chamber through the perforations into the liquid, will give motion to the same in a manner causing circulation and mixture thereof, for the purpose described.

2. A vessel for liquid having an inlet for aeriform fluid into the liquid of the full width of the vessel, open in one direction only, entering the vessel below the plane of the liquidsurface and discharging into one part only of the liquid and in one direction to create a progressive circulation, substantially as described.

3. A float containing a chamber, the float to be in liquid in a vessel and set in the liquid with one part or end, only, presenting a passage to aeriform fluid and this passage opening under the surface of the liquid, whereby such fluid, emerging at one part of the float in straight lines, will give motion to the liquid in the vessel in a manner causing circulation and mixture thereof, as set forth.

4. In a carbureter, a float having downward-projecting ends and sides, one of the ends being long and the other being short, and the float being hinged at the long end leaving the other free, whereby, in use, the float will be higher at the hinged end than at the free end and leave an air-chamber principally at the hinged end, substantially as and for the purpose described.

5. In a carbureter, a hinged float having depending ends and sides, the float being long and narrow at the hinged end, and short and broad at the free end, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a vessel, of a float havinga closed top, depending sides and ends and an open bottom, the sides being closed, one end being closed and hinged Within the vessel, and the other end being free and provided with perforations, substantially as de scribed.

7. The combination with a float having depending ends and sides, one end being longer than the other and hinged, and the other end being free, containing an air-chamber, of one or more buoys arranged as described whereby falling of the float will cause increased submerging of the free end, substantially as set forth.

8. The combination with a closed vessel provided with a delivery-pipe and to contain hydrocarbon liquid, and with an open-bottomed float having top, sides and one end closed and one end free, hinged at the closed end, and perforated at the other end, of an air-inlet pipe opening beneath the float, substantially as described.

9. The combination with a closed vessel provided with a delivery-pipe and to contain hydrocarbon liquid, and with an open-bottomed float having top, sides and one end closed and one end'free, hinged at the closed end, and perforated at the. other, of an airinlet pipe opening beneath the float, and a sealedsupply-pipe,substantially as described.

10. In an air-carbureting apparatus, a carbureter proper, consisting of a closed vessel provided with inlet anddelivery pipes and containing a float having depending sides and ends whereby it contains an air-chamher, one end long and hinged, and the other end short and free, and the inlet-pipe entering the earbureter near the hinged end of the float which will be the higher end in use, of an air-regulator having an outlet-pipe connected with the inlet-pipe of the carbureter proper, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

11. The method of preventing refrigeration and stratifieation of carbureting liquid, ef-

surface of the liquid with its body and, at once, subjecting aeriform fluid to the action of the entire body of liquid, which consists in causing motion of the liquid onward and return, by introducing the aeriform fluid into the liquid in one direction only and of the entire width or length of the liquid, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ABRAHAM T. WELGH.

Witnesses:

A. A. HOEHLING, J r.,

15 fecting equalization of temperature of the EDMUND VAN DYKE. 

